Flying to California on Friday evening, I missed most of Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief, the unprecedented superstar-packed charity telecast. I did land in time to catch the last 40 minutes or so of the West Coast feed, the highlight of which was definitely Jennifer Hudson‘s performance of “Let It Be.”

The Beatles began recording the original track in full on January 23, 1969, and now 41 years to that very day, a catastrophe of unimaginable size had inspired Hudson to deliver Paul McCartney’s classic composition. Backed by The Roots, the singer-actress later said she was just happy she didn’t forget the words, but you wouldn’t have known she was at all nervous. Hudson’s soothing, soul-stirring turn was flawless and absolutely stunning (even if the quality of this clip is less than perfect):

Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “Let It Be” is featured on the just-released Hope For Haiti Now, a set that culls live performances from the star-studded telethon (which raised a reported $57 million in donations). The 20-track album is just $7.99 via iTunes or Amazon MP3, and all proceeds go to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, Oxfam America, Partners In Health, Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, and Yele Haiti Foundation.